Remembering my uncle César Chávez

A letter from Dolores Huerta Foundation Executive Director, Camila Chávez

Today we celebrate what would have been my uncle César Chávez’s 98th birthday. I was 16 years old when César passed, 32 years ago. I feel blessed to have been raised in Señora Reina de La Paz, the UFW headquarters now known as the National Chávez Center.

The struggle for workers’ and human rights is more poignant than ever. Today, the Dolores Huerta Foundation staff and Vecinos Unidos members will march with thousands of workers and allies across the state in Delano, California, the birthplace of the farmworkers movement.

As I march today, I will be thinking about the lessons that César taught me and so many others.

Discipline and Self-Care

Although César had a busy schedule, he managed to meditate daily. He often took walks and hikes in the surrounding hills of La Paz. He was a strict vegan, which taught me at a young age about the importance of eating healthy and understanding that food is medicine. If he saw us drinking soda or eating junk food, he would remind us that we were putting poison in our bodies. He converted many people to become vegetarians for health and environmental reasons.

These are certainly stressful times, and we need to make time to care for our bodies, minds, and spirits. Please celebrate César Chávez Day by doing something good for your body today: take a walk, take a moment to journal, or practice deep breathing.

Build Community

César had a vision and established an intentional community for organizers and their families in the beautiful foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains. Everyone who lived in La Paz worked for the farmworkers movement. This small and imperfect community taught me the value of humility that comes from relying on others, and the joy that can come from lending a hand to help others. It was not uncommon to knock on a neighbor’s door to ask for bread, milk, or sugar. Many looked after us as our parents worked late or traveled for work.

As children and youth, we knew that our menial efforts—flag and poster making, marching, phone banking, and registering voters—contributed to justice for farmworkers. We encourage parents to educate their children on what’s happening and involve them in age-appropriate activities for social justice.

The Dolores Huerta Foundation continues this tradition through our Vecinos Unidos (Neighbors United) chapters. Our intergenerational members are working with their neighbors as they advocate for improvements in their communities and schools.

Build & Strengthen Coalitions

César and my mother, Dolores Huerta, knew the importance of seeking allies to further their cause. As a youngster, I vividly remember meeting people from all walks of life. I have memories of welcoming visitors to La Paz, including representatives from the American Indian Movement and a Greenpeace bus with environmental justice volunteers. We also traveled across the country to join marches in San Francisco with our LGBTQ+ allies and in Washington, D.C., for the largest reproductive justice march on the National Mall.

As my mother, Dolores Huerta, says, “This is a critical moment as workers’ rights are being dismantled with privatization and union busting!” Hardworking immigrants are being vilified and scapegoated, while farmworkers, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and those who oppose the war in Palestine face increasing attacks. César’s clarion call for unity and action rings louder than ever.

If César were alive today, he would continue to be a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. It is fitting that we celebrate Trans Day of Visibility on his birthday. We need to celebrate and embrace our differences. DHF stands in solidarity with our trans community and will fight for the self-determination and liberation of all trans people!

¡Sí, se puede!

Camila Chávez
Executive Director

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.” César Chávez

Image: U-T file Farm labor leader Cesar Chavez and members of the United Farm Workers picket outside San Diego area headquarters of Safeway markets on Oct. 23, 1973. Chavez called on consumers to boycott Safeway supermarkets for carrying non-union produce. (Barry Fitzsimmons/ U-T file photo)